How a Dometic Fridge/Freezer Will Take Your Camping Set Up to the Next Level

Want your food to stay fresh throughout your road trip? It’s time to rejig your car boot with some cool camping gear. Julia’s taken the Dometic CFX3 45 Portable Fridge/Freezer for a spin.

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the Countries on which these adventures take place who have occupied and cared for these lands and waters for thousands of years. We pay our respects to them and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

‘This is going to change our camping game,’ I told my partner as I unboxed the newest addition to our camping setup, the Dometic CFX3 45 Portable Fridge/Freezer. It felt like Christmas had arrived early, receiving this portable box of cooling that would act as a treasure trove of deliciousness.

We would be using the car fridge on a two-week road trip along Australia’s Coral Coast, camping in remote lands far from any supermarket shelves.

Why would you need a car camping fridge?

A car fridge can elevate any camping trip, especially for adventures that go off-grid. Instead of relying on canned or non-perishable items, a camping fridge allows you to eat fresh food daily. It also frees you from relying on soggy ice!

The convenience also meant I could maintain the same healthy lifestyle as back home, cooking tasty camping meals instead of opening can after can.

Drafting this article by hand at the campsite… probably

I must admit, I’m not a beans-on-toast kind of gal; I like to be just as adventurous cooking on a hot plate as I am outdoors when camping, and having a Dometic portable fridge/freezer allows me to do just that.

And what’s better than capping off a day of adventures with a well-deserved ice-cold beverage at happy hour – which, when camping, is at any hour. Cheers to that!

Key Features of the Dometic CFX3 45

I was immediately impressed with the sleek appearance of the Dometic CFX3 45 Portable Fridge/Freezer. The 46-litre portable fridge’s heavy-duty yet lightweight design is strengthened with fender frames, making it one tough build.

I’m no muscle woman, but I found the 19kg car fridge (when empty) easy to carry with its retractable aluminium alloy handles.

The fridge is portable enough to unplug and remove from the car at dinner time

Inside, it fits 67 cans, or can fit a grocery shop for two for up to a week. Meanwhile, its outside interface displays the fridge’s temperature and battery voltage, which is useful for making sure everything’s in good working order.

The fridge fitted perfectly on our new dual-draw system in the boot of our Land Rover Discovery, sliding smoothly in and out.

Install a fridge slide for maximum snack-cess

We fastened the fridge onto the drawer with straps just for extra security, although it’s probably not necessary unless you’re going off-road, the fridge is sturdy as!

What also excited me was the ability to control the camping fridge’s temperature via a dedicated free Dometic app on your smartphone (Bluetooth and Wifi enabled).

You can play weather god wherever you are, setting the fridge’s climate on the go. The fridge’s variable speed compressor allows temperatures to go as low as -22°C, which is handy for getting items cold quickly.

The fridge/freezer will hold the cold for quite a while if you remove it from its power source

It also helps that the fridge has thick insulation, keeping items cooler for longer if it’s turned off, which we did when we took it out to have a scenic picnic far from the car or cook dinner with it a bit closer to the kitchen.

The fridge has a three-mode battery protection system which gives you peace of mind that you won’t run your battery power source flat, and also allows you to get the most out of deep cycle batteries made for powering devices like this.

How can a camping fridge transform your adventure lifestyle?

A portable camping fridge helps you to be more self-sufficient, meaning more time in the wilderness with a touch of home comfort.

It’s like travelling with a convenience store, a grab-and-go right in the boot of your car.

Most of the time the fridge stays in the car plugged in, but we wanted to show you the goodies inside!

Why not just use an icebox or cooler? We used to use one for our camping adventures but found the convenience of not having to stock up on ice really added up on longer trips.

Upgrading from an icebox to a fridge allowed us to worry less about keeping things cold and dry, and spend more time enjoying the journey.

How do you power the fridge?

The Dometic CFX3 45 Portable Fridge/Freezer comes with two options to supply power to it: a 12-volt connection cable for car or battery use, and a 240-volt cable that you can plug into the wall at home.

A common camp setup is to connect the car fridge to a 12-volt power supply – usually an auxiliary battery (spare battery) that can be recharged while driving – or solar panels if you’re camping for multiple days.

If you don’t have a spare battery setup you can run the fridge while driving by plugging it straight into your car’s 12-volt socket. It’s not a perfect solution, but it can work for some trips.

Pro tip: Run the fridge at home with your food and drinks already inside to cool the fridge and its contents down before you hit the road!

Completing Your Camp Setup

Want to find Dometic bliss? Check out the Dometic GO Compact Camp Chair, Camp Table, and Camp Bench, which are all easy to set up and relatively light.

They came with individual storage bags with straps too, which made it easier to transport and store in the car in an orderly fashion.

Serenity check!

The camp table proved to be our camping mainstay. For mealtimes, we adjusted the bamboo table’s aluminium legs to maximum height so we could cook on it (it has three heights) with our portable gas cooker.

We would then convert the ‘kitchen’ to a dining table, lowering the table’s legs so we could eat off it comfortably. It’s also a perfect size for playing cards.

Off-Grid For Longer

The Dometic CFX3 45 Portable Fridge/Freezer is a solid choice for multi-day car camping adventures.

The features of the fridge/freezer, including the robust construction, mobile temperature control abilities, and flexible power source make it worth the investment for future adventures.

With one of these in the boot, you’re likely to get off-grid for longer and more often – what could be wrong with that?